Abigail
and the Journey of a Pack Horse Librarian
This is a song about a girl and her horse.
With vivid imagery and stunning hand-painted illustrations, Sarah McCombie and Kelley Wills pay tribute to the Kentucky Pack Horse Librarians of the Great Depression—a revolutionary federal works program that employed citizens, encouraged literacy, promoted animal welfare, and fostered community.
Written first as a song by the band Chatham Rabbits, the 36 pages of paintings make Abigail come alive for readers of all ages. The backmatter is an educator’s guide, brimming with more engaging stories, chord charts for the music, and lesson material that takes Abigail beyond the page.
Author Bio: Sarah McCombie is half of the beloved North Carolina Americana band, Chatham Rabbits. Together with her husband Austin, she travels the country playing the banjo, telling stories, and meeting folks at the merch table. Prior to being a full-time musician, Sarah was a K-8 music teacher. She loves to sing and ride her horses, sometimes both at the same time.
Illustrator Bio: Kelley Wills is a freelance illustrator, working out of her home studio and sometimes gardening in Eugene, OR. Her work is centered around natural elements that celebrate the magic of the everyday.
Available Now
Bring Abigail Home
For your shelf, your classroom, or the young reader in your life.
The song that inspired the book.
Watch Chatham Rabbits perform Abigail live.
The book was surprise-announced on stage at a sold-out hometown show at The Pyrle in Greensboro, NC — then launched the following week at the Public Library Association Conference in Minneapolis, MN.
For anyone new to the song, Sarah told the story. During the Great Depression, the federal government funded a program that paid women to ride horses and mules deep into the mountains of Appalachia, delivering library books to families who had no other way to get them. These women gathered over 200,000 books themselves. They served more than 50,000 people. They did it on horseback, through the hollows and ridgelines of Kentucky, with nothing but determination and a saddlebag full of stories.
A glimpse inside
